Kansas: At least eight killed after 70-vehicle pile-up in dust storm

Published

12 months ago

March 18, 2025

Kansas: At least eight killed after 70-vehicle pile-up in dust storm

At least eight people have died after a pile-up involving more than 70 vehicles caught in a dust storm.

Motorists on the I-70 near Goodland, in Kansas, were hit by a sudden wall of dirt on Friday, dropping visibility to almost zero and causing drivers to slow down and collide.

Winds reaching up to 70mph whipped up dust that then became trapped in a cold front, and pictures show several lorries were involved in the resulting collisions.

Local media reported more than 30 people were taken to hospital, with firefighters having to cut some out of vehicles.

A preliminary investigation found 71 vehicles were involved, according to Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson April McCollum.

Jeremy Martin, the National Weather Service meteorologist for Goodland, said it’s hard to tell how thick dust is from afar, so drivers don’t know they won’t be able to see until they are in it.

“It was hard to even keep your eyes open outside because there was so much dust in the air,” he added.

“It kind of stung to even breathe out in it.”

There were similar conditions in eastern Colorado, which prompted authorities to warn drivers there is “zero visibility” due to “high winds and blowing dirt”.

Jerry Burkhart, the fire and emergency services chief in Lamar, Colorado, simply said “you couldn’t see”.

“The best thing to do is get way off the road in a parking lot or something like that,” he added.

Blinding dust also forced New Mexico to close the I-25 from the Colorado border.

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Daniel Tong, an associate professor of atmospheric chemistry at George Mason University, said dust storms coat roads with fine particles that slow braking.

This kind of phenomenon is frequent and widespread enough across the US, he said, to warrant inclusion in driving tests.

Meanwhile, a weekend of storms and tornados across southern and mid-west states, including Kansas, killed 42 people.

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Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

Published

16 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged with creating child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors showering during an athletic competition.

According to court documents, 37-year-old Ryan Brungardt of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.

Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School.

Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament was held at Newton High in January 2024.

Brungardt made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday

Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.

Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

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